A Welcome Mat Beats Words of War

Thoughts on the Syrian refugee crisis by board member and long time Lancaster Interchurch Peace Witness supporter, Ken Trauger. Author note: “Islamic State” was an editorial change for ISIS that I would have not used because I do not want to oppose Islam.

The following originally appeared in Lancaster Newspaper’s Letters to the Editor:

Let’s welcome Syrian refugees. All religious leaders need to call for resettlement of these suffering and hurting people to the United States. Caring for the homeless is an excellent way to fight against the Islamic State’s war against the West.

Resettling Syrians will silence those who are angry about the West’s past harms toward people in the Middle East. It will weaken the Islamic State group’s recruitment efforts in that area, Africa, Asia and the West. It will promote our Western ideal of being “welcoming” communities.

When some of our leaders in Washington talk of sending more bombs, ships, planes and troops to the Middle East, their speeches result in helping the Islamic State in its recruiting. The group uses such speeches out of Washington to urge hateful people to join them in battling the hated global West. These U.S. speeches for war support the enemy’s philosophy, upset many of us in the U.S. and must stop.

Let’s hear strong welcomes and resettle Syrian refugees. Such love of people will weaken the Islamic State’s evil ideology.